Cooperative Living October 2020 - 4

ViewPoint | by Richard G. Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor
Vol. 74, No. 10
ISSN 1529-4579
RICHARD G. JOHNSTONE JR.
Executive Editor
BILL SHERROD
Editor Emeritus (2005-2020)
STEVEN JOHNSON
Editor
LAURA EMERY
Field Editor
GREGG MACDONALD
Senior Writer/Editor
JANET BAILEY
Production Manager
JOHN GROTT
Production Coordinator
JIM ROBERTSON
Creative Services Specialist
TOMMY CAMPBELL
Design & E-Media Coordinator
AMANDA S. CUNNINGHAM
Marketing Coordinator
NINA JACOBS
Administrative Coordinator
To change your subscription,
contact your electric cooperative.
For editorial inquiries, contact
the magazine at (804) 346-3344
or editor@co-opliving.com.
Published by the VA, MD & DE
Association of Electric Cooperatives
PATRICIA S. DOREY
Chair
RUSSELL G. BROWN
Vice Chair
WADE C. HOUSE
Secretary/Treasurer
RICHARD G. JOHNSTONE JR.
President & CEO
Board of Directors: Christopher D. Bott, Belvin Williamson Jr.,
A&N; C. Michael Sandridge, Michael J. Keyser, BARC; George
N. Goin, Gary E. Wood, Central Virginia; Robert E. Arnold,
Micheal E. Malandro, Choptank; Jeannette S. Everett, Steven
A. Harmon, Community; James E. Huffman, Jeff M. Ahearn,
Craig-Botetourt; Patricia S. Dorey, J. William Andrew, Delaware;
Fletcher B. Jones, John C. Lee Jr., Mecklenburg; Russell G.
Brown, Bradley H. Hicks, Northern Neck; Wade C. House,
Stan C. Feuerberg, Northern Virginia; Dale McNiel, Randell W.
Meyers, Powell Valley; Herbert R. Patrick, Casey J. Logan,
Prince George; Sanford Reaves Jr., John D. Hewa,
Rappahannock; G. Todd Van Horn, Greg S. Rogers, Shenandoah
Valley; Frank W. Bacon, Jeffrey S. Edwards, Southside.
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COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 473-300) is
published 10 times a year, monthly except for
combined March/April and November/ December
issues, by the Va., Md. & Del. Association of
Electric Cooperatives. POSTMASTER, address
changes should be sent to: Cooperative Living,
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encounter noncompliance with these standards,
they are asked to inform the Editor.
A Celebration
of Cooperation
October is Cooperative Month, a time when electric
cooperatives celebrate the seven principles that guide us
during times of plenty, and times of plentiful challenges
W
e live in an age of uncertainty.
A restless age. The seasons are
a balm in such times.
Spring offers hope. Bare branches sprout
pale-green wisps. Leaves unfold. The Earth stirs.
Summer offers abundance, a deep-green
world alive with growing fields, grazing
livestock.
Autumn offers color, splashed across the
landscape in generous dollops of red and
orange and gold. For a few precious weeks we
savor this final curtain call, knowing tree limbs
all too soon will stretch - dark and shorn -
against the wintry sky. The Earth sleeps.
And yet we know it will awaken from its
cold slumber. We count on it.
Much like we count on our faith. And
our family. Especially during difficult times.
In thousands of communities across the
country, millions of Americans also count
on their electric cooperative as a community
partner, a local business owned by its members.
Following seven guiding principles, electric
cooperatives have provided reliable, affordable,
sustainable and safe electric service for almost
85 years.
October embodies seasonal change. And
puts us on the threshold of the family gettogethers
and faith gatherings that close out
the calendar year. October is also Cooperative
Month, a time to celebrate the seven principles
that guide every cooperative, every day.
VOLUNTARY AND OPEN MEMBERSHIP
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
- Margaret Mead, 20th-century American
cultural anthropologist
Cooperatives are open to all those able
to use their services and willing to accept
the responsibilities of a member-owner.
DEMOCRATIC MEMBER CONTROL
Alone we can do so little; together we can do
so much.
1
2
- Helen Keller, 20th-century American author
and first deaf-blind person to earn a B.A. degree
2
Cooperative member-owners have equal
voting rights - one member, one vote - and
elect a board of directors to set the policies.
MEMBERS' ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION
3
Do more than belong; participate.
- William Arthur Ward, 20th-century American author
Members own their cooperative. Any
surpluses are later returned to member-owners
when the co-op's financial condition permits.
AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE
4
In every age someone has had individuality
enough and courage enough to stand by his
own convictions.
- Robert G. Ingersoll, 19th-century American
orator and author
Cooperatives are autonomous, independent
businesses controlled by their member-owners.
5
EDUCATION, TRAINING
AND INFORMATION
The beautiful thing about learning is nobody
can take it away from you.
- B.B. King, American electric guitar virtuoso,
dubbed " The King of the Blues "
Cooperatives work hard to keep their
member-owners informed and to provide
continuing education for their employees
and board members.
6
COOPERATION AMONG COOPERATIVES
It takes two flints to make a fire.
- Louisa May Alcott, 19th-century American author
Cooperatives work together with other
cooperatives, to minimize costs and maximize
results.
7
CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY
I believe that man will not merely endure;
he will prevail. He is immortal, not because
he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible
voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable
of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.
- William Faulkner, 20th-century
Nobel Prize-winning American author
Cooperatives are inseparable from -
and an integral part of - their communities,
and support the sustainable growth of the
communities they serve. ■
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Cooperative Living October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living October 2020
